The present invention relates to carbonated beverages. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dry carbonation source for use in preparing carbonated beverages, the method for preparing this carbonation source, and a carbonated beverage concentrate employing it.
The need for a dry carbonated beverage concentrate has existed for a long time. And, this need has been accentuated in recent years due to an increased awareness of the ecological limitations associated with canned and bottled carbonated beverages.
Early formulatory work on dry carbonated beverage concentrates predominantly utilized the carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium, potassium and ammonium as the sources of carbonation (e.g. Diller et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,851,359). However, these carbonate sources are generally unacceptable when present in amounts sufficient to provide a desirable level of carbonation. Upon reaction with the acid in the beverage, whereby carbon dioxide is released, the corresponding sodium, ammonium and potassium salts are formed. The resultant, undesirable brackish taste can be alleviated to some degree by using a combination of these carbonates, but it generally persists thereby diminishing the palatability of the beverage.
The taste produced by the presence of calcium ions was found to be considerably more tolerable than that of the sodium, ammonium or potassium ions. Accordingly, several workers have suggested employing calcium carbonate alone or in combination with other carbonates or bicarbonates to improve the palatability of carbonated beverages prepared from dry mixes (e.g. Diller et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,851,360 and 2,851,361, and Alther et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 2,603,569 and No. 2,639,238).
Calcium carbonate has not, however, been readily accepted. Because calcium carbonate is relatively insoluble, dry beverage concentrates employing it generally take excessively long periods of time to dissolve. Moreover, most commercial grades of calcium carbonate leave undesirable sediments, commonly referred to as sinkers, when used in amounts sufficient to provide desirable levels of carbonation.
To be acceptable, a dry carbonated beverage concentrate must be conveniently dissolved in ice water and provide a beverage which is appealing in both taste and appearance. An important factor relating to the convenience of the beverage concentrate is the time which it takes to completely dissolve in ice water. In general, for consumer acceptance as a convenience product, the beverage mix should fully dissolve within a short period of time, e.g. about two minutes and preferably about one minute. Moreover, the time for solution should be minimized to prevent loss of carbon dioxide to the air during solution. For most beverages, the beverage will not have an appealing appearance unless all cloud and sediment dissappear to provide a completely crystal clear beverage. As exceptions, certain flavors such as orange, lemon and grapefruit may tolerate the presence of a slight cloud. However, in no case is the presence of any noticeable degree of sediment desirable.
The degree of carbonation and the tartness of the beverage are significant factors relating to the palatability of the beverage. It is generally preferred that the beverage contain sufficient carbonation to yield at least about 1.0, and preferably at least about 1.3, volumes of carbonation per volume of liquid and have a final pH upon dissolution of from about 4.5 to 5.2. This is because carbonated beverages exhibit an increased tartness as compared with non-carbonated beverages of the same pH. It has been determined that carbonated beverages exhibiting pH values below about 4.5 - 5.2 exhibit an undesirably high level of tartness. Moreover, the beverage should be free from any brackish taste which would detract from the palatability of the beverage.